Cristiano Ronaldo's 3 greatest Champions League hat-tricks

When it comes to the Messi vs Ronaldo debate there is little question who is more prominent on the Champions League stage.

The Portuguese attacking player is dressed in records; including scoring 121 goals in the Champions League thus beating Messi to becoming the first man in history to score a Century of goals in the European competition.

Reaching double figures in 7 consecutive Champions League seasons with Real Madrid, he remains the only player to score in three Uefa Champions League finals and the first to score in 11 successive Champions League matches. Having opened his Juventus European account, fittingly against his former English club, he looks poised for more.

He has the opportunity to become the second man to win the Champions League at 3 different clubs, after Clarence Seedorf. (Clarence Seedorf won the Champions League with Ajax (Netherlands), Real Madrid (Spain) and AC Milan (Italy).

Ronaldo has scored 582 goals in his career so far. At Manchester United, Ronaldo scored 112 goals in 292 games. At Real Madrid, he racked up his 324 goals in just 310 games to become the club's, top scorer. A man who hasscored a further 34 hat-tricks in La Liga, the record for the most hat-tricks in La Liga history, 4 ahead of his close rival Messi.

Despite scoring 14 more goals than Messi in the Champions League, he is sat behind the Argentinian with only 7 hat-ricks compared to 8. Albeit being second in the record books or all-time champions League Hat- tricks isn't bad...

Here is a look at Ronaldo's top 3 Champions League Hatricks

#1 The first of Many 2012

A cheeky chip over goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer gave Ronaldo his first Champions League hat-trick as Real Madrid thumped Ajax 3-1 in the second group stage match in 2012. This would be his 43rd goal in the European competition and the beginning of something special. Real Madrid would, however, go on to lose on penalties to Bayern in the Semifinal in a year which saw Chelsea claim their first Champions League title.